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Summary
I interviewed for the SSE role at Paytm in October 2023 and received an offer after successfully completing three rounds, which included an online test, a DS/Algo round, and a System Design round.
Full Experience
I recently interviewed for the SSE role at Paytm. The interview process consisted of three rounds.
The first round was an online test conducted on HackerRank. This round included two easy LeetCode problems, one medium/hard problem, and multiple choice questions covering various technical concepts.
The second round focused on Data Structures and Algorithms. During this round, I was asked to solve a variation of Kadane's algorithm, to implement a solution to detect and break a cycle in a linked list, and to find the maximum sum path in a binary tree. Additionally, the interviewer asked several questions about my current projects and their technical details.
The third and final round was a System Design interview. I was presented with the challenge of designing an elevator system, requiring me to consider aspects like multi-elevator control, request handling, and fault tolerance. This round also involved scenario-based questions that tested my understanding of crucial system design principles such as caching, idempotency, data consistency, and strategies for scaling distributed systems.
Interview Questions (5)
I was asked to solve a problem that involved a variation of Kadane's algorithm, which required applying its core logic to a slightly modified problem statement.
The problem involved detecting a cycle in a given linked list and then modifying the list to break that cycle.
I was asked to find the maximum sum path between any two nodes in a binary tree, where the path could start and end at any node.
I was tasked with designing a complete elevator system, considering aspects such as multiple elevators, handling floor requests, scheduling algorithms, and ensuring safety and efficiency.
I encountered scenario-based questions that required discussing solutions and trade-offs related to implementing caching strategies, ensuring idempotency, maintaining data consistency in distributed systems, and designing for scalability.